Influência da estrutura de vegetação e da paisagem na ocorrência e abundância de mamíferos de médio e grande porte em um mosaico de plantações de eucalipto, savana e remanescentes florestais no norte do Brasil

Abstract

The increasing transformation of natural areas into agricultural production is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss, greatly affecting several ecosystems and therefore the survival of many species capable to use these systems. Thus it is necessary to understand the factors that can determine the patterns of occurrence of medium-sized mammals in relation to the vegetation structure and landscape attributes, in order to prioritize areas more adequate to maximize the prevalence of these species in the landscape. This study was carried out in a landscape composed of a mosaic of eucalyptus plantations, savannas and forest patches. Using câmeras traps and line transects, 17 species of mammals were recorded, including two endangered species (Myrmecophaga tridactyla and Tapirus terrestris - VU). Mammalian richness was similar among the three environments, with differences in the abundance of mammals between both of the methodologies used. The turnover of the species was the main mechanism of beta diversity in the landscape. The richness and abundance of mammals was favored by eucalyptus, in places with less roads and greater proportions of natural environments. Primates, Carnivores, Rodents and Pilosa are found mainly away from the savannas and areas with higher tree height, while Cingulata, Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla are mostly found far from the forest. Didelphimorphia was registered mostly in heterogeneity areas, while five orders are found mainly within homogeneous areas. The maintenance of areas of natural vegetation surrounding eucalyptus plantations is a fundamental strategy for the conservation of biodiversity, given that the heterogeneity and the proportion of native vegetation increase the occurrence of mammals in this landscape